The Dog Barks Back

finally the meaning of the 'past’
reveals itself in a sudden downpour
of warmth running down her spine.
she can see how it happened.
stupid empathy exploited, disarmed,
savaged to account for things it
didn’t cause or consider.
wrong-footed, stupid-headed.
empathy for the underdog with a fist,
a slap across her face that left her jaw clicking.
that silenced her ambitions.
sentenced for his thefts from her,
who she was, when she was,
those lost years, her personal toxic
shock syndrome.
without cowering, forgetting to eat or
wishing to forget
she remembers it all.

dirty little secret

hidden in your non-thought
a shadow on your wall,
i dwell in the recess
of your head.
lurking behind your reason,
i wait for sleep to come,
and rise from the depths
of your dreams.
I am the name you cannot say
the face you cant reveal
the one you need the most
and see the least.
you wake in morning's half-light
and wash your sins away,
leaving your dirty little secret
to sleep.